“My kids hid it, I was panicking” – Novak Djokovic on ‘forgetting’ Olympic gold medal due to son Stefan & daughter Tara’s mischief ahead of US Open

Novak Djokovic recently shared that he was unable to bring his gold medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics to New York because his son, Stefan, and daughter, Tara, playfully hid it from him. The Serbian tennis star won his second Olympic medal in Paris, with his first being a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Djokovic, the top seed at the quadrennial event, began his campaign with victories over Matthew Ebden, Rafael Nadal, and Dominik Koepfer in the first three rounds.

In the quarterfinals, he overcame eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, followed by a win against 11th seed Lorenzo Musetti, who later claimed the bronze medal, in the semifinals to secure his place in the championship match. In the final, the former World No. 1 defeated Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, 7-6(3), 7-6(2), to clinch the gold medal.

In a recent interview with Forbes, Novak Djokovic shared that he was supposed to bring his gold medal to New York for a few planned events ahead of the 2024 US Open.

However, he was unable to do so because his children, Stefan and Tara, played a prank on him by hiding the medal. Djokovic admitted that he went into a state of panic when he realized he couldn’t find the medal.

“I forgot it because my kids hid it somewhere. So, then I was panicking because I had to take it. One night my daughter and one night my son sleeps with it. They have a couple of trophies in their rooms. I try to look at it [gold medal] once a day and say ‘hello,’ and say ‘thank you’ and get inspired for more,” he said.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion also reflected on his semifinal victory over Lorenzo Musetti at the Olympic Games. He shared that after winning the match, he fell to the ground in jubilation, realizing that he had secured at least a silver medal. However, Djokovic emphasized that his ultimate goal was always to win the gold, which he achieved by delivering what he described as the “best levels of tennis.”

“When I won the semis in Paris [Olympics], I fell to the ground because I knew silver was guaranteed. But silver was never the final goal. I was going for gold. It was one of the best levels of tennis I had produced in years. It is just different. Olympic games are historically the most important sports event,” he added.

“Novak Djokovic like 45 and still winning every tournament” – Frances Tiafoe hails Serb as the GOAT after Paris Olympics gold

Frances Tiafoe recently praised Novak Djokovic as the greatest of all time (GOAT) after the Serb secured a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This victory marked Djokovic’s second Olympic medal, with his first being a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he defeated James Blake.

The 2024 Olympics marked Novak Djokovic’s fifth appearance at the Games, where he represented Serbia in tennis alongside Dusan Lajovic. As the top seed, Djokovic began his campaign with victories over Matthew Ebden and Rafael Nadal in the first and second rounds, respectively.

He then defeated Dominik Koepfer in the third round and secured a win against eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. In the final four, the former World No. 1 overcame 11th seed and eventual bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti before clinching the gold medal by defeating second seed Carlos Alcaraz 7–6(3), 7–6(2) in the final.

Before beginning his campaign at the 2024 US Open, Frances Tiafoe spoke with the press about Novak Djokovic’s victory at the Summer Games, among other topics. Tiafoe praised the Serb’s commitment to winning gold for his country, referring to him as the greatest of all time.

“Yeah, I mean, I know how bad he wanted that one, for sure. It was an incredible effort, incredible effort. You’ve got to tip your hat off to him. You know, stats-wise, I think he’s been the greatest player of all time for a while now and obviously now he just cemented it,” Tiafoe said.

Tiafoe also expressed admiration for Novak Djokovic’s ability to keep winning tournaments at his age, highlighting the Serb’s remarkable longevity and sustained success in the sport.

“Crazy. He’s like 45 and he’s still winning every tournament. It’s really good to see what he’s doing. But, yeah, I mean, tremendous effort, and I know that meant a lot to him and the country, so congratulations to him,” he added.